Through the years therapists working with the aged, emotionally and/or developmentally disabled and physically impaired have realized that substantial therapeutic value is found in the use of musical instruments in their various therapies. It has, for example, been found extremely helpful to utilize therapy in which the strumming of a stringed instrument such as a guitar or autoharp is employed. While the benefits of such music related therapy are substantial, several problems arise in utilizing such instruments in therapy related to the aged, emotionally and/or developmentally disabled or physically impaired. For example, such persons frequently have difficulty grasping or holding the pick which is utilized to pluck or strum the strings of instruments such as guitars or autoharps. The aged, for example, are often encumbered by substantial arthritic conditions in their fingers and hands. As a result, the grasping or holding of a pick may be a task of great difficulty and sometimes painful. Similarly, emotionally and/or developmentally disabled persons often lack the small motor coordination required to grasp and manipulate or orient a pick for use with stringed instrument. In addition to difficulties grasping or holding the pick, the aged, emotionally and/or developmentally disabled or physically impaired often encounter difficulties in establishing the consistent rhythmic strumming motions over the stringed instruments necessary to establish a beneficial and encouraging musical sound.
To reduce the effect of these difficulties, the therapist often attempts to aid the patient by taking hold of the patient's hand to aid in grasping the pick and rhythmically strumming. In many instances, however, the patient's hand may be extremely fragile or otherwise impaired in a manner whereby the therapist's grasp actually produces discomfort or pain on the part of the patient. Similarly, some patients through emotional preference, may prefer not to have their hand or arm grasped by the therapist at a particular point in the therapist-patient relationship. Thus, a need arises for a means by which the grasping of a musical instrument pick by an impaired patient may be made easier and by which a therapist may assist the patient in a strumming motion without grasping the patient.
A similar need often arises in music education activities which are directed to extremely young children. While the benefits of early introduction to musical activities such as those employing a stringed instrument are of great benefit in the child's development, problems often arise in the young child's ability to properly hold a musical instrument pick. In addition, young children may have difficulty learning to establish the rhythmic strumming motion necessary for proper instrument playing. It has often been found in music education of younger children that the initial tasks of learning to play an instrument must be carefully structured to avoid frustration or hostility on the part of the young child. Toward this end, there arises a need for a means to be utilized by music teachers for the teaching of stringed instrument play thereby the pick may be grasped more easily and be more easily controlled and whereby the instructor may assist the student in establishing a proper strumming motion without grasping the student.
Various devices have been developed to assist the aged, emotionally and/or developmentally and physically impaired as well as young children in grasping the musical instrument pick. For example, there has been developed a pick retaining device which generally comprises an elongated wrist cuff adapted to be tightly received upon the wrist and a portion of the forearm of the user. An extending member secured to the wrist cuff and extending into the finger and palm region of the user supports a downwardly extending musical pick which virtually eliminates the need of the user to grasp the musical pick. Such devices permit the user to strum the strings of a musical instrument despite having a handicap or disability in grasping the musical pick. However, they render very little aid to the therapist or instructor in assisting the patient or student in establishing a strumming motion. Another simple device created to aid the patient or student in grasping a musical instrument pick comprises, what is in essence, a substantially enlarged musical pick which by virtue of its greater size is somewhat easier for patients and students with small motor control difficulties to grasp.
While these devices provide some benefit and assistance to patients receiving musical therapy and younger children learning to play stringed instruments, there remains a need in the art for a means whereby patients under therapy and young children learning musical instruments may be assisted in holding the musical instrument pick and whereby therapists and musical educators working with patients and young students may more readily assist and guide the patient and student in establishing a proper strumming motion for stringed instrument play without grasping the patient or student.